The Origins of English Words: A Discursive Dictionary of Indo-European Roots

Joseph Twadell Shipley

Aug 2023 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Jonathan Todd Ross

About this audiobook

There are no direct records of the original Indo-European speech. By comparing the vocabularies of its various descendants, however, it is possible to reconstruct the basic Indo-European roots with considerable confidence. In The Origins of English Words, Shipley catalogues these proposed roots and follows the often devious, always fascinating, process by which some of their offshoots have grown. Anecdotal, eclectic, and always enthusiastic, The Origins of English Words is a diverting expedition beyond linguistics into literature, history, folklore, anthropology, philosophy, and science.

About the author

Joseph T. Shipley is the author of the highly acclaimed In Praise of English as well as twenty-six other books, including The Quest for Literature, Dictionary of Word Origins, and Dictionary of Early English.

Jonathan Todd Ross has narrated over 120 audiobooks across a wide variety of genres. An Audie Award winner, he is also the recipient of numerous YALSA and AudioFile Earphones Awards. Jonathan loves narrating all genres, bringing the author's words to audio-life.